Door latch construction

ABSTRACT

A LATCH BOLT AND COMPANION HOUSING FOR USE ON THE NORMAL BOTTOM EDGE PORTION OF AN OVERHEAD GARAGE OR AN EQUIVALENT DOOR. THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT COMPRISES A SHEET MATERIAL HOUSING SHEATHING A UNIQUE SPRING-LOADED LATCH BOLT WHICH CAN BE RETRACTED BY A COMPLEMENTAL   CHAIN. THE HOUSING FEATURES SEVERAL REFINEMENTS AND, MORE PARTICULARLY, NOVEL L-SHAPED LOCATING AND ANCHORING BRACKETS.

' 1971 G. w. FOSS DQOR LATCH CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct; 9, 1968 am 0 A W H w MW r a w e 6 Y B United States Patent Ofice Patented Feb. 23, 1971 3,565,475 DOOR LATCH CONSTRUCTION George W. Foss, Van Nuys, Calif. (27361 Sierra Highway 263, Saugus, Calif.

Filed Oct. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 766,076 Int. Cl. Ec 1/12 U.S. Cl. 292-171 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a projecta'ble and retractable latch bolt, a structurally distinct housing in which the bolt is uniquely embodied, novel attaching brackets carried by the housing, and a relatively stationary floor plate having a cen tralized keeper socket for the head of the bolt.

An object of the present invention, generally stated, is to structurally, functionally and in other practical ways improve upon a latch construction which lends itself to use in conjunction with a vertically swinging overhead garage or equivalent upon a latch construction which lends itself to use in conjunction with a vertically SWinging overhead garage or equivalent door wherein the component parts, including the usual lifting chain, are operatively located on the interior of the door, that is, when the door is down and wherein an anchoring or keeper plate is adhesively bonded or otherwise secured atop the concrete or equivalent floor. Such an adaptation and arrangement of component parts is shown, for example, in an overhead garage door latch structure in Pat. 3,285,646- granted to me on Nov. 15, 1966.

Stated somewhat more explicitly and, as will be hereinafter more fully appreciated, the keeper plate, also referred to as a striker plate, herein shown and described is much the same as the floor or keeper plate revealed in the aforementioned Pat. 3,285,646. Instead of utilizing the latch sheathing bracket employed in my prior patent, a structurally novel housing and spring-biased latch bolt is herein utilized.

Briefly the latch bolt housing is preferably but not necessarily fashioned from a struck-out blank of sheet material which is bent upon itself to provide the unique latch bolt housing. More explicitly, the housing is channelshaped in transverse cross-section and accordingly embodies opposed spaced parallel side walls, having like ends united by a connecting web. The web has an upper marginal edge provided with a relatively narrow turned-in flange which spans the space between the side walls proximal to the locale of the web. This flange is centrally apertured to provide a guide hole. The lower marginal edges of the side walls are provided with oblique-angled liplike flanges which project into the space between the side walls. The ends of the respective flanges which are adjacent the web terminate short of the web and cooperate therewith in defining positioning and guide openings. A latch bolt is expressly designed for coordinate use with the thus constructed housing. This bolt is characterized by a rectangular head which has an upper end provided with an integral upstanding shank. The shank is preferably circular in cross-section and of a cross-section less than the cross-section of the head and is slidingly mounted so that it projects through and beyond the guide hole in the coacting flange. The projecting portion is provided with a groove to accommodate a horseshoe shaped assembling and retaining collar or washer. The washer normally rests atop the flange and is held by a coil spring 5 which surrounds the shank and has one end resting atop the head of the latch. Then, too, and broadly stated, the side walls of the housing are provided adjacent lower corner portions with attaching and retaining flanges.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention the housing mounting and securing means is characterized by a pair of coplanar side by side spaced parallel L-shaped or equivalent angle brackets. Each bracket has a first leg which is designed and adapted to abut a predetermined surface of the interior side of the door in a plane just above a lower marginal edge of the door. This leg may be referred to as the vertical leg and the companion horizontal shorter leg is so arranged that it projects outwardly and underlies the bottom edge of the door and is adapted to be nailed or otherwise fastened thereto. Both L-shaped brackets are thus laterally offset and downwardly located to position the housing and spring-loaded portion of the bolt in proper relation to the bottom edge of the door, the floor and the keeper plate.

These together with other objects and advantages 'which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a door latch construction constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention and showing the same in relation to a garage or an equivalent door, the door being shown in phantom lines.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail view with parts in section and elevation taken approximately on the plane of the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and including, for illustration purposes, a portion of the lifting chain.

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of the housing and spring-loaded latch with a portion of one side wall broken away and appearing in section.

And FIG. 4 is a plan view of the sheet material blank from which the novelly bent housing is constructed.

The garage or equivalent door is shown in phantom lines and is denoted generally at 6. The garage or equivalent foundation or floor is denoted at 8. The floor plate, also herein designated as either the keeper plate and in some instances as a striker plate is denoted by the numeral 10. It is preferably rectangular in plan and corresponds to the plate shown in the aforementioned Pat. 3,285,646. It has a planar or flat bottom side 12 which is adhesively or otherwise attached to the floor surface so that it will be in the correct operating position in relation to the door, that is when the door is in its down or closed position. The four marginal surfaces slope outwardly and downwardly and thus provide the desired ramp-like surfaces 14. These surfaces cooperate with the crown portion 16 which as best shown in FIG. 2 is provided with a vertical keeper socket 18 of requisite dimension.

The lifting chain is denoted at 20 in FIG. 2 and serves in the manner suggested or shown in the aforementioned prior Pat. 3,285,646 and is therefore not shown in greater detail here.

It is within the purview of the inventive concept to fashion the novel housing 22 from a struck-out blank of the character shown with particularity in FIG. 4. It would also be within the scope of the invention to make the housing of one-piece plastic or equivalent construction and in either event the housing or sheath, stated generally, is vertically elongated and channel-shaped in cross-section and is sometimes referred to as U-shaped in top or bottom plan as the case may be. Also it is substantially open at the top, at the bottom and at that side which faces and is attachable to the interior surface of the aforementioned door 6. The rectangular spaced parallel side walls are denoted at 24 and have corresponding end portions 26 united or joined together by a connecting web 28. An upper marginal edge portion 30 (FIG. 2) is provided with an ear or extension which is bent laterally to provide a flange 32. This flange is flat and relatively narrow and it spans the space between the left hand end portions of the side walls 24. This flange as shown in FIG. 4 is provided with a circular hole 34 which constitutes a guide hole. The lower marginal edge portions 36 of the side walls (FIG. 3) are provided with inwardly and upwardly angled lip flanges which are referred to as reinforcing and stabilizing flanges and are denoted at 38. These flanges are disposed at an approximate 45 degree angle in the manner illustrated. It should be noted that the flanges 38 extend horizontally from the vertical marginal edges 40 and terminate at 42 short of the locale of the web 28. Thus the terminating flanges coact with the web 28 and provide guide openings which are proportional in shape and are properly arranged to accommodate the substantially rectangular head 44 of the projectable and retractable latch bolt 46. The upper end of the head provides a shoulder as at 48. The lower end 50 is chamfered and convexly shaped as at 52 to provide a cam which lends itself to gliding over the inclined surface 14 in a manner to assume the depending latched position shown in FIG. 2. The upper shouldered end portion is provided with a reduced cylindrical stem or shank 54 which is of a length that it extends upwardly through and beyond the guide hole 34. This upper end portion is denoted at 56 and has a groove 58 therein to accommodate the cooperating portions of an attachable and detachable horseshoe-shaped collar or washer 60. The upper end portion 58 is also provided with an apertured ear 62 to which a lower link 64 on the lifting chain 20 is connected in the manner brought out in FIG. 2. The required coil spring is denoted at 66 and it surrounds the shank and has an upper end bearing against the underneath side of the flange 32 and the lower end resting against the shoulder 48.

The means for applying and retaining this novel housing 22 comprises a pair of duplicate coplanar spaced parallel attaching or adapter brackets which are denoted individually by the numeral 67. Each bracket is L-shaped and has a vertical long leg 68 which is integrally joined at 70 with the lower part of the edge 40. The shorter horizontal limb or leg is denoted at 72. It will be observed that both legs are provided with holes 74 to accommodate headed fasteners such as nails, screws or the like shown at 76 in phantom lines in FIG. 2. It should be particularly noted that these L-brackets are such that lower portions of the legs 68 depend below the lower edges of the side walls to thus assume the position and relationship brought out with requisite nicety in FIG. 2. With this construction and arrangement when the two brackets are applied and nailed or otherwise secured in place the housing proper is located at a level to accommodate the striker plate and to avoid collision therewith when the door is closed. Then, too, this arrangement and combination is such that the head 44 of the latch bolt seats well and properly in the keeper hole 18 to avoid easy or unauthorized displacement when for example the bottom of the door is close, say of an inch or so to the garage floor. Also with this construction and arrangement the range of applicability is such that the space between the bottom of the door and the floor can be A of an inch up to /2 inch more or less. It follows that the invention well serves the purposes for which it has been produced and successfully used.

It is believed that the construction of the striker plate 10, the construction and manner of attachment of the bolt-equipped housing 22 will be clear when considering the views of the drawing singly and collectively. Under the circumstances it would appear that a more extended or detailed description is thought to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a striker plate having a flat bottom adapted to be superimposed upon and aflixed to a floor or an equivalent fiat stationary surface, said plate having a socket providing a keeper and having upwardly inclined ramp-like surfaces cooperatively coordinating with said keeper socket, a sheath providing a latch bolt housing, means carried by said housing for securely mounting the same on a predetermined surface of a garage or similar door in oriented alignment with said striker plate, and a springloader retractable and projectable latch bolt having a shouldered head slidingly mounted in said housing and a reduced shank joined to the shouldered end of the head and also slidingly mounted in said housing, said head having a latchable and releasable end provided with a convex chamfer defining a cam and said cam being alignable and operatively shiftably engageable with a selected one of said inclined surfaces, said housing mounting and securing means being characterized by a pair of coplanar side by side spaced parallel L-shaped brackets each having a first leg designed and adapted to abut a predetermined surface of the door in a plane just above a lower marginal edge of the door, and a second outstanding leg designed and adapted to underlie a coacting surface of said lower marginal edge, said legs having bolt holes for reception and retention of headed fasteners, said housing being hollow and channel-shaped in transverse cross-section embodying a pair of spaced parallel side walls joined by a connecting web, said housing being substantially open at its normal top and bottom and open along the side thereof which is cooperable with said door, said brackets being joined to coacting free marginal edges of said side walls, said web having an upper marginal edge provided with a turned in flange bridging the space between the upper portions of the side walls and having a guide hole, the upper end of said shank being provided with an assembling and limit stop collar, said collar having stop engagement with said flange and being held in a normal given position by a cooperable bolt loading and retaining spring, the lower marginal portions of said side walls being edged by oblique angled inturned reinforcing lip flanges, the latter having like ends spaced from said web and coacting therewith and defining positioning and stabilizing guide openings for the head of said latch bolt.

2. The combination defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said second legs and lower end portions of the first legs are situated at a level below the level of said side walls, said first legs projecting outwardly beyond the locale of said side walls, whereby the brackets are offset for convenience of ready attachment and use.

3. A door latch construction comprising a vertically elongated latch bolt housing, said housing being channelshaped in transverse cross-section, embodying opposed spaced parallel side walls having like edges united by a complemental connecting web, said web having an upper marginal edge provided with a turned-in flange spanning the space between the side walls and centrally apertured to provide a guide hole, the lower marginal edges of said side walls being provided with angled inturned reinforcing lip flanges having like ends terminating short of said web and spaced therefrom and coordinating therewith in defining positioning and guide openings, a latch bolt embodying a shouldered head slidingly operable in said guide openings, the shouldered portion of said head having a centralized shank sliding upwardly through and beyond said guide hole and provided with an assembling and retaining collar normally resting atop said turned-in flange, a coil spring surrounding said shank and having oneend resting atop the shouldered portion of said head and its other end engaging an underneath side of said turned-in flange, and housing mounting and anchoring means carried by lower end corner portions of said side walls.

4. The combination defined in and according to claim 3,,and wherein said housing mounting and anchoring means comprises a pair of outwardly and downwardly offset L-shaped attaching brackets.

,5. For use on and in conjunction with the lower marginal edge of a vertically swinging overhead garage door, a readily applicable and removable door retaining latch comprising a vertically elongated channel-shaped housing embodying a pair of spaced parallel side wallsjjhaving like longitudinal edges joined by a complemental web, said web having upper and lower edges, said upper edge having a laterally directed flange bridging the space between adjacent upper edges of said side walls and having a guide hole therein, the lower edges of saidside walls having horizontally elongated integral rigidifying flanges projecting into the space between said side ;walls, said flanges having outward transverse ends which are flush with adjacent free longitudinal edges of said side walls and inward transverse ends which terminate short of said web and are spaced a predetermined distance from said web -to provide guide openings, a latch bolt having a head slidable in the respectively cooperable guide open-- ings, said head having an upper end provided with a shank which is slidable in said space and has an upper end slidable upwardly and through and beyond said guide hole and equipped with an assembling limit stop washer, a coil spring surrounding said shank and having a lower end resting atop said head, and a pair of coplanar spaced parallel L-shaped housing mounting and anchoring brackets fixed on the respectively cooperable lower corner portions of said side walls. 7

References Cited 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,552,690 9/1925 Frantz 292-33 1,832,615 11/1931 Bittorf 292-171 2,053,806 9/1936 van Note 292 173 2,519,011 8/1950 Aurendt 292-73 15 2,649,323 8/1953 Qraig 292-481 2,716,039 8/1955 Phillips 292-163 3,282,617 11/1966 Wason 292-171 3,285,646 11/1966 BOSS 292-133 3,353,857 11/1967 Mongor 292157 FOREIGN PATENTS 21,490 3/1906 Great Britain 292(F) 99,260 2/1898 Germany 292(F) 159,290 1921 Great Britain 292(F) MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner R. L, WOLFE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

